


Consonance

by sungyeols



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M, it's also kind of ot7-ish, okay there is myungyeol what do you expect from me, pour some vinaigrette in this word salad, the relationship tag is just for formality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 02:19:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8603395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sungyeols/pseuds/sungyeols
Summary: He looks up Infinite in Google and it tells him the basic stuff. 6 member group. Debuted at 2010. 1st win with Be Mine. Infinite H. Infinite F, but with him and Sungjong only. He searches the name Lee Sungyeol. None of them are the Sungyeol he knows.





	

His feet brings him to an empty room by the end of the hallway.

He’s on the fifth floor, where the practice rooms are and they’re actually in the middle of dancing when Sungyeol makes another mistake in the steps which causes Woohyun to trip (due to fatigue, they’ve been at it for more than 10 hours now nonstop so you can’t blame him) so Sunggyu appeases a break and Dongmin, their resident choreographer, lets them. He went out of the room to get some fresh air because all he can smell inside is the sweat of 7 boys trying their best and there’s just too much testosterone around its kind of suffocating him.

He’s walking mindlessly in the empty halls, it’s already something roughly around 12am, of course most of the company staff are already home, until he reaches the end of it. Myungsoo hasn’t noticed this room before. He reaches for it, turns the knob and it clicks open. It’s dark inside so he blindly searches the wall for the switch, and when he finds it there is suddenly too much light that he has to blink rapidly.

It’s kind of like a tiny practice room that became some sort of a storage site as it is filled with a lot of boxes. Myungsoo opens an unsealed one and finds tons of copies of their Season 2 album, still wrapped and all in mint condition. The box next to it has a bunch of blue colored albums and it doesn’t take long for him to realize its their New Challenge albums.

He guesses the rest of the boxes have other sealed copies of their other albums and some other official merchandise, most probably. For some future use, or something.

There’s nothing really much to discover inside the room so he makes his way out. But then it happens fast, he trips on something on the floor and he hits his back on a really hard box or whatever, he doesn’t have time to see and falls on the floor hard, head hitting the surface enough to render him unconscious.

When he wakes up his head hurts like a bitch, and so does his back. He rubs his eyes and tries to move his body slowly since he’s feeling cramps, sprawled out on the floor like that. After a few attempts, he finally manages to stand upright even though his eyes are still half closed.

By the time Myungsoo exits the room, it’s cold and the small hand of the clock on the hallway points to the number 6 and it dawns on him that he missed practice. For 6 hours. The sweat from dance practice has already dried on him and he probably stinks.

He makes his way back to the practice rooms and finds the members waiting for him. They ask him questions as to where he’s been and he tells them about the room at the end of the hallway and what happened to him. They don’t let him off the hook and let’s him practice more for a few hours.

 

-

 

It’s two days since the storage room incident (as Woohyun dubbed it for him), when the uncomfortable sensation starts. There is this nagging feeling in his stomach, and the hairs on his nape stand up for no particular reason. He would often feel cold even though the place where he is at is hot, and he feels like he’s being watched. He tells Sunggyu this and the older orders him to rest ( _It must be fatigue, Myungsoo-yah. Sleep it off. I’ll make sure no one wakes you._ ) and when he goes to Woohyun the short male tells him it must be the sasaengs getting in his nerves ( _They’re always there, somewhere you know. I try not to acknowledge the idea of them creeping inside the cabinet of my room because it’s creepy, and crazy.)_

He does sleep it off but the feeling doesn’t subside even after he wakes up. 

 

-

 

Myungsoo thinks he already got used to the idol life, but then again he doesn’t. There are still way too many things to learn, to avoid, to understand. Being a trainee is a series of lessons, one after another. But that doesn’t mean that when someone becomes an idol he or she stops learning. Life is filled with lessons and questions to answer. Myungsoo thinks life is a long test that needs to be answered, and being an idol is like the equivalent of a practical hands on subtest.

He talks to Sungjong about these things. Stuff that usually he’d just feel comfortable sharing to his mom, or someone he’s really, really trusted. The two of them are the youngest members in the group. Since they are the closest in age, and even though Myungsoo is weird, he feels like Sungjong still understands. He is close to Hoya, a member who is older than him, but he doesn’t imagine himself talking to him about these things. Hoya won’t probably understand him like Sungjong does.

“Don’t you think you’re just being paranoid hyung?” Sungjong tells him over coffee while they’re in the kitchen talking about the nagging feeling that’s eating away Myungsoo.

“No, that’s not it. It’s not a regular feeling that I have all the time, it’s just that I have them more than once a day and it’s like, bothering me.”  
“This started happening after you went inside that storage room…?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I have any other logical explanation for this except that you disturbed a ghost in that room and when you left you brought it along with you. Now it’s out to get you.”

“Ghost, seriously?” he squints at the younger male and the latter tucks his long blond hair behind his ears.

“How else would you explain this? All the things you said earlier only point to this. I’m pretty sure there is a ghost inside Woollim, I’ve heard some of the nightshift staff talk about it at some point.”

 _Of course Sungjong would conclude something supernatural related,_ Myungsoo thinks. He liked scary movies and would marathon them when they have free time.

“If you want, I know a friend, who knows a friend, and maybe she can help you ward the ghost away from you or something.” Sungjong offers.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on hyung. Don’t you want the ghost away from you? It’s probably even riding your back right now and you don’t even know it.”

“I hate you. Don’t scare me like that.”

Sungjong chuckles then takes a sip of his coffee again. The smell of caffeine makes its way towards Myungsoo and he feels a sense of dejavu.

“Anyway, I’m serious hyung. When you finally want the ghost off your back, tell me so we can call my friend’s friend.”

“Sure, Sungjongie.”

After Sungjong finishes his coffee, he leaves Myungsoo alone on the kitchen counter. The empty mug is still in there and Myungsoo stares at it, spacing out. Coffee stirs something familiar in him and he doesn’t know what, or why.

 

-

 

They’re doing a magazine photoshoot that day. There is way too much makeup in his face and his hair is so hard from all the gel it’s like there’s a rock on top of his head. The staff usher him from here to there and from place to place. He follows orders from the photographer when he’s being shot individually ( _Put your hand there. Lean closer. Look in the camera. Perfect. Lick your lips. Even better.)_ and after finishing all his frames a staff leads him back to the wardrobe for a change of clothes. He waits for the others to finish their own individual shoots and stands under lights when it’s finally group shot turn.

“Okay the tallest one, move to center.” the photographer barks an order and Myungsoo fixes the cuffs of his jacket. He’s not the tallest in the group, so he doesn’t need to move.

“Tallest! You with the jacket! Center!” he hears another order and when he looks at the other members that’s when he realizes he’s the only one with the jacket.

“Me?” he asks rather dumbly. Sunggyu squints so hard at him and Woohyun’s eyebrow raises.

“Yes you! The only one with a jacket and the tallest in the group! Move to the center now!”

Myungsoo follows the order, but his mind is moving, running kilometers per second.

That’s weird.

He’s really pretty sure he’s not the tallest in the group.

Woohyun and Dongwoo are the shortest in the group, and Sunggyu and Hoya roughly play around each other’s heights. Sungjong is tall but not as tall as him. Then… then…

Myungsoo clicks his tongue and shakes his head.

That’s weird.

When the shoot finishes he grabs Woohyun, who is thanking the staff, by the shoulder and when they’re in the corner he asks him.

“Am I the tallest in Infinite?”  
Woohyun looks at him like he grew another head.

“Obvi-fucking-ously.”

“Isn’t there someone else who is supposed to be taller than me?” he asks again.

“I wish it was me, honestly, truly I do. But no, among the 6 of us you just had to get the visuals and the height. Hooray.” he says sarcastically and leaves Myungsoo to change clothes.

 

-

 

Later that night they all return to Woollim building for dance practice. Myungsoo, surprising absolutely no one, sweats first and sweats the most. They’re taking a 5 minute break and he’s wiping his sweat while sitting on the floor when he thinks he sees someone on his peripheral vision peering from behind the door.

When he turns his head there is no one by the door, and there probably never was. He shrugs his head.

When he leans forward to grab his water bottle, he catches someone sitting beside him. He saw the reflection in the mirror.

He looks at his side and finds no one. All the other guys are crowded at the other side of the room.

He doesn’t believe Sungjong about the ghosts thing, but he thinks he might, or maybe it’s just his tired mind playing games at him.

 

-

 

Myungsoo lets go of the height thing from the photoshoot. It must be just fatigue, like Sunggyu says. The brain always does things on their own, especially when it’s tired or something. He rationalizes. But on the way to the festival venue where they’re supposed to perform in a few hours, the nagging feeling creeps up back to him again. Dongwoo is sitting beside him on the van, napping. Sunggyu is in front beside the manager hyung who is driving. Hoya and Woohyun are sitting beside each other behind him. Sungjong is sitting alone in the back of the van alone with his phone in hand. No one else is with them, its just all 7 of them in there.

The feeling doesn’t go away even after they arrive at the destination. Sunggyu notices he’s spacing off and distracted and asks him if he’s okay. He nods at the leader but Sunggyu just reminds him ( _If you’re feeling bad don’t hesitate to tell, ‘kay?)_ and when Sungjong passes by him he mouths _ghost behind your back?_ and he nods, in acknowledgement of reference.

He wills whatever this force is to stop bugging him before they’ll go up on stage to perform and 5 minutes standby the sensation drips away like water going down the drain. He relaxes himself and goes through the songs they need to perform. _The Eye. Bad. BTD. Nothing’s Over. Be Mine._

When they go onstage he slips into performer mode and dances like it’s as natural as breathing. The words of the song escape his mouth word for word and he knows all of it so much it’s as if it’s tattooed behind his eyelids.

The first three songs go well, and there is a talk segment before the fourth one. Woohyun is throwing hearts toward his fans, and Sunggyu is talking. Dongwoo is jumping in his place and Hoya is beside him providing the fans some Yadong interaction (apparently standing beside each other is already an interaction) but it’s not like he’s any different, since he’s standing beside Sungjong and has his arm draped on the younger’s shoulder. The fans like Myungjong like this, and he’s pretty sure the shippers are having a field trip right now seeing their idols in their correct shipping order. Woogyu. Yadong. Myungjong.

Before Myungsoo can even inhale one more breath, talk time is already over and the sounds of Nothing’s Over began to fill the whole venue. The fans enthusiastically scream when Hoya begins his regular routine of ‘ _I say ho you say ya’_ and then three minutes pass by really fast and then it’s the end of the song.

He extends his arms above his head and makes a half a heart.

When they’re off the stage the other members look at him weirdly. Hoya is the first to ask though.

“Why’d you do half a heart at the end? That’s not your usual gesture.” he points out.

“...It’s not?”

“Well yeah. No one’s standing beside you so it was really weird tonight. Don’t you usually do that L thing with your hands on your chin?” he even remakes the gesture.

 

-

 

Myungsoo is inside the van when he sees a tall figure standing near the distance outside. He’s probably taller than Myungsoo, and thinner, but he’s got a face that would make a lot of idol groups’ visuals run for their money. He’s wearing some loose sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

The face is so familiar, and Myungsoo can feel it at the tip of his tongue. The name of that person.

The van moves and the figure walks away.

 

-

 

_Do you hear me?_

_Do you hear me?_

 

He dreams about these words. He dreams about someone whispering it to him. In his ear. When he walks. When he dances. When he sings. When he breathes.

 

_Do you hear me?_

_Do you hear me?_

 

-

 

Myungsoo knows there’s something wrong. He still just can’t figure it out. It’s not a ghost like Sungjong theorized. He’s sure it’s not something like that. He feels it. He knows he’s closer to being enlightened.

 

-

 

_Do you hear me?_

_Do you hear me?_

 

-

 

He’s inside the recording studio when he hears the voice. It’s kind of breathy, but it’s a distinct voice he knows he’s heard somewhere before. It reminds him of comfort. It reminds him of coffee. It reminds him of someone he’s missing. But who?

 

-

 

_Myungsoo. Listen to me._

_Do you hear me?_

 

Myungsoo jolts awake and he breathes like his lungs are failing.

 

“Sungyeol.”

  


-

 

“I don’t know any Sungyeol, and Infinite is six, Myungsoo. Are you drunk?”

“He was your _roommate_ for _years_.”

“That’s creepy, because Sungjong is my roommate for years. Did you take some kind of drug or something?”

 

-

 

“Who is he? Am I supposed to know him or something?”

“He rapped the beginning of Cover Girl! He also sings after you in Man in Love!”

“I rap the beginning of Cover Girl, and Sungjong sings after me in Man in Love. Are you okay Myungsoo?”

 

-

 

“You remember him Woohyun! Think! You were in High School Love on with him.”

“What’s wrong with you, Myungsoo? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

 

-

 

“Lee Sungyeol? Never heard of it.”

“You joined the group along with him!”

“I joined alone Myungsoo. I was the last member to join, remember?”

 

-

 

Sungyeol is a part of Infinite. He’s the 7th member.

Myungsoo is confused though. The Infinite he is a part of now has six members only. No Sungyeol. But at the same time he is so sure of it, he knows Sungyeol is a part of them. It’s an instinct that’s so strong, kindling like fire inside of him.

He bothers Sunggyu about it and it makes Sunggyu frown at him.

“You’re making me worried Myungsoo. Are you sure you’re really okay?” he asks, voice genuinely laced with concern.

“I’m fine I’m fine… but Sungyeol-”

He stops mid sentence when Sunggyu looks at him with those eyes.

“There is no Sungyeol in Infinite, Myungsoo. I don’t want to say it but I think you need to get checked up.”

When he told Sungjong about Sungyeol and the younger male gives him the same look Sunggyu had, he realizes that no one gets him, and they probably won’t ever, even though he tries for a hundred times.

 

-

 

 

 

He looks up Infinite in Google and it tells him the basic stuff. _6 member group. Debuted at 2010. 1st win with Be Mine. Infinite H. Infinite F,_ but with him and Sungjong only.

He searches the name Lee Sungyeol. None of them are the Sungyeol he knows.

He spends a few more hours sitting in front of his laptop, tab after tab after tab of articles, things that might explain. From local articles to paradoxes. Theories. Anything that would tell him what happened to Sungyeol and why is he suddenly gone and why does no one know of him except _him-_

Then he stumbles upon the webpage he’s looking for and the answer is there, as clear as day.

It’s not that Sungyeol disappeared, it’s because he was never there in the first place.

Not in this world.

 

-

 

Myungsoo believes in alternate universes. He read a manga with a concept like that back then and got hooked to the idea. He believes that there are doors, windows, passages in this world that would lead to another.

No more of theoretical believing, because now he confirms that it’s true and he’s experienced it first hand.

He doesn’t belong in this world. There is no Sungyeol in this world. He comes from a world where Infinite is seven.

He slips inside the Woollim building late at night and goes to the fifth floor. He wastes no time and grabs the knob to open the door of the room he was knocked out cold from a few weeks back. God, it took him weeks to figure it out. He’s spent way too many days in this place that isn’t even his in the first place.

The door is locked.

Myungsoo tries again but it still won’t budge. He kicks the door from the knob forwards and it swings carelessly. He enters the room and opens the lights. It still looks the same, exactly as he left it. He closes the door after him and walks towards the boxes.

He pulls out one Season 2 album from the box and hastily unseals it. 6 members, no Sungyeol. The photocard inside is a Dongwoo one.

He moves towards the next box and he opens one New Challenge album. Still 6 members, no Sungyeol. The photocard inside has his own face, and he pockets it.

 

-

 

 Myungsoo dreams again. But this time it’s different. He’s inside some cafe and there’s black coffee in front of him but most importantly Sungyeol is there, sitting on the chair in front of him and he’s cradling a cup of coffee in his (pretty) hands. His hair is black and it’s styled up into that comma hairstyle the stylist noona loves to do on him and he’s wearing a grass-colored coat.

“Are you going to stare at me all day or what?” dream Sungyeol asks him.

“I wasn’t staring.”

“No shit you weren’t.” he huffs out.

“What are you even doing here?” Myungsoo asks,

‘Oh you mean in your dream?”

“Well yeah. This is a dream, is it?”

“I don’t know, it’s your mind. Don’t ask me. I may as well be a figment of your imagination.” Sungyeol makes a wild gesture with his hands, as if explaining how grand his words are.

Myungsoo makes a face at him, and Sungyeol mimics it.

They both sit in silence for the rest of the dream, sipping their coffee and eyes exploring the place. Basically, looking at everywhere but each other.

Myungsoo just finished his coffee when he looks at Sungyeol and finds the latter staring at him. Dream Sungyeol is leaning back in his chais with a soft expression in his face.

“Why did you bug me so much to remember you? I could’ve lived in this lifetime without knowing your existence you know.” he blurts out and Sungyeol scoffs.

“But that’s not going to be a happy life for you, doesn’t it?”

“You’re pretty confident with that huh?”

“Yeah. Besides, you can’t live your life without me. That’s the way the universe works. It’s unnatural if there is a Myungsoo but no Sungyeol.”

“I don’t think I like this Sungyeol, he’s too self centered.”

“I don’t like you too. Asshole.”

“You just bent time, space and dimensions just to remind me that you exist, I don’t think that’s a part of the concept of ‘I hate Myungsoo’”

‘Whatever this is just a dream anyway, technically it’s not true.”

“Okay, whatever you say Sungyeol.”

When they’re both standing outside the cafe and the night wind is blowing in their faces, Sungyeol grabs him by the arm.

“Don’t forget me when you wake up. Find me. I’ll wait for you.” his face is serious but at the same time it’s got a pained expression, and Myungsoo swoops him in a hug.

“I will.”

 

- 

 

He doesn’t lose his memory this time around (he thinks he lost it because it’s his first time travelling dimensions, and he’s not aware of it) and goes to the third floor, where the hallway has posters of them posted from different eras.

He counts.

_One, two, three, four, five, six._

No Woohyun in this dimension. But there is Sungyeol.

He’s about to go back to the fifth floor when someone places a hand on his shoulder and when he turns to look it’s Sungyeol and he almost cries, flinging himself at the older male.

“I fucking missed you so much. Fucking hell.” Myungsoo says in the hug.

“I didn’t go anywhere though? Myungsoo?” Sungyeol’s breathy voice responds and Myungsoo feels like listening to him talk forever.

He sticks with this Sungyeol for hours and hugs him and sniffs him and never lets him go. Sungyeol makes annoyed noises as he push Myungsoo away but the grip is weak and it’s like he doesn’t really want to remove the younger male off him.

 

-

 

He spends the day in this world, a world without main vocal Nam Woohyun so the line distributions change for him and he sings half of what Woohyun sings and the other half either Hoya or Sunggyu. Technically, he’s both 50% main vocal and visual in this world. Sungyeol gets more lines in this world, more screentime, and he gets to be the lead in High School Love On. Hoya is the second lead. Sungjong and Sungyeol apparently alternate in doing hearts for the fans, and Myungsoo realizes Infinite looks lacking without a certain small man with a strong voice. Just like how it lacked when there was no Sungyeol.

He slips off after vocal lessons to go to the room at the end of the hall and waits the night there. He opens a New Challenge album and manages to get his own photocard again, but his facial expression is different in this one than the one he got from the world without Sungyeol. He puts this new photocard in his pocket along with the other one.

 

-

 

The next dimension doesn’t have Sungjong. So that makes him the youngest member in the group. They’re out for a variety show guesting, and the hosts are making him do cute gestures. _Cute gestures._

In this world he apparently also has shitty acting skills. He also does the _lemon candy_ skit, much to his horror.

He realizes he likes this place the least, since it’s hard being the youngest. He commends Sungjong for holding up as the best youngest member of Infinite.

He adds a third photocard in his pocket before he leaves for another world, and this one is still as different as the other cards.

 

-

 

Sunggyu is not present in this world and Dongwoo is the leader.

It’s weird, seeing Dongwoo be all authoritative and be the _usual_ Dongwoo at the same time. This world is very different from the original one he’s been though. He’s a main vocal, and Woohyun is too. Sungyeol is the visual of the group. Sungjong does the MC gigs Sunggyu had, and the people love him for it. Dongwoo does musicals, and Hoya is the one who gets a solo album, but not until after Woohyun released his.  

It’s Infinite, but it doesn’t really feel like _Infinite_ for him.

Kim Sunggyu is the leader of Infinite after all. It’s just not the same if it’s not him.

 

-

 

Myungsoo is surprised, because this one doesn’t have Infinite H together. No Hoya, no Dongwoo. Infinite is only five, and this one is tricky, because it’s even messier than the last place he’s been. Sunggyu is leader and main vocal. Woohyun is main vocal, but he’s also the main dancer. Sungyeol is the main rapper, and Sungjong is the lead dancer. Myungsoo is the visual and much to his surprise, a _lead rapper._

He listens to the songs in this world in disbelief, as he hears his voice sing the rap verse in _Be Mine_. Sungyeol nails Tic Toc and Paradise though.

He also learns that he plays as Kang Junhee in Reply 1997. Even wins an award for it.

If the world without Sunggyu, Sungjong, Woohyun, and Sungyeol were lacking- then this one takes the icing on top of the cake. One member is enough to make him feel like he’s missing something but two member make it seem so empty. He always took Hoya and Dongwoo as his hyungs who are always there whenever you need help, some advice, or even someone to just sit beside to and they’ll make you feel comfortable.

Infinite isn’t Infinite without Hoya and Dongwoo either.

 

-

 

As he waits for the time to pass inside the room, he fishes out the five photocards from his pocket. All New Challenge photocards of him but with different angles and poses and expressions. Not a single one photocard is the same, and he wonders how many more of these are out there. The thought kind of scares him at some level.

 

-

 

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven._

This time, it’s Infinite. 

 


End file.
